Facebook post goes viral after Sussex mum shares story of toddler scalded by cup of tea

A Sussex mum who took to Facebook after her two-year-old son pulled a mug of hot tea over himself has had her post offering advice of what to do in that situation go viral.
Claire James from Faygate with her son, William SUS-200617-154359001Claire James from Faygate with her son, William SUS-200617-154359001
Claire James from Faygate with her son, William SUS-200617-154359001

Claire James, from Faygate in Horsham, shared the details of William’s accident and how the the quick thinking of her husband, Edward, saved the toddler from needing prolonged treatment such as a skin graft.

The post has so far had 15K reactions, 9K comments and 72K shares.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The 33-year-old said: “I wanted to share William’s story, because while I felt incredible shame and guilt, I knew this was a genuine accident that happened to someone who is a good parent.

William James' burns after he accidentally pulled a cup of tea over himself SUS-200617-154349001William James' burns after he accidentally pulled a cup of tea over himself SUS-200617-154349001
William James' burns after he accidentally pulled a cup of tea over himself SUS-200617-154349001

“Which means there will be hundreds of other parents out there doing a wonderful job every day, but that are just as susceptible to these accidents, and that may, like me, not know what to do if this situation arises for them.

“The post has had huge reception, with many thanking me for sharing amd confirmimg that they had no idea what to do in that situation.

“In fact, a mother emailed me last week saying that she was so grateful to have seen my post as within days the same happened to her child, and she therefore knew what to do. That for me, proved that I did the right thing in sharing. I’m so grateful to have been able to help her and her daughter.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The accident took place at the family home on Sunday, May 17, during breakfast just after Claire had poured hot water into her mug, removed the tea bag and put in the milk.

A message from someone who said Claire James' viral Facebook post helped them SUS-200617-154339001A message from someone who said Claire James' viral Facebook post helped them SUS-200617-154339001
A message from someone who said Claire James' viral Facebook post helped them SUS-200617-154339001

She said: “William was always able to see and cite when things were ‘hot’ because we had taught him that you must be careful with anything that is hot, however, I don’t suppose you can expect a two-year-old to be able to rationalise what that actually means.

“So having just returned the milk the the fridge and turned around, I saw William reach up to the cup and clasp the handle. It was in fact me shouting ‘William, no!’ that startled him and caused the cup to fall over.

“My husband has worked for Southern Water for over 15 years, so health and safety and first aid have been an enormous part of his job.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“He immediately picked William up and put him under cool running water in our kitchen sink. I had gone completely blank with panic and shock at this stage and was nothing short of useless - all I could do was hold William’s face and tell him it was going to be okay.”

William James in hospital following the accident SUS-200617-154411001William James in hospital following the accident SUS-200617-154411001
William James in hospital following the accident SUS-200617-154411001

They then moved William to the shower. Claire held him under the water for what she says felt like an eternity, while Edward called the ambulance.

The were paramedics at the house within ten minutes of calling, and within 20 minutes of their arrival the family were on their way to East Surrey.

Claire said: “As always, their care was exceptional and William was home within a few hours.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Luckily, because we took all the right steps, more specifically we kept William under the cool water for as long as we did, the burn had caused damage, but none too advanced, and they referred us to the paediatric burns unit at Queen Victoria in East Grinstead.

Edward and Claire James with son William SUS-200617-154421001Edward and Claire James with son William SUS-200617-154421001
Edward and Claire James with son William SUS-200617-154421001

“The hospital praised my husband’s for his actions, and said that this had saved William from possible considerable prolonged pain and treatment, such as skin grafts. But that he would in fact, be healed up within a couple of weeks.

“They stated that injuries such as Williams were incredibly common – I believe there is a statisitic stating 30 hot drink scalds in children admitted to hospital per day – and they saw them more often than they would like too, but knowing that children are curious and quick, it was somewhat inevitable.

“But what caused them the most dismay was how few of the parents that came in had any knowledge of how to apply first aid to a child that had experienced a burn or a scald.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Many would head straight to A&E, without realising that this leaves the skin to continue to burn for example.”

Unfortunately, a few days after returning home from A&E, the family needed to return.

William was showing signs of a fever a rash, which staff at Queen Victoria Hospital had advised them to look out for.

They took him back to hospital where he was treated for five days for suspected mild toxic shock.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Claire said: “Burns, unfortunately, are not always straightforward, and the resulting shock can far more dangerous.

“It was sitting in hospital that the guilt and horror really set in for me. Seeing William so terrified and in pain, and having to bring my child in to hospital because of my mistake was just awful.

“As a mother, my whole remit is to protect and care for my child, and that is what I have done around the clock from the moment he was born - so I felt ashamed that I had let him down, and like I’d done anything but.

“It was made ten times worse by the fact that I hadn’t known exactly what to do when it did happen. I’ll be forever grateful that my husband was so on the ball.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The steps I have shared are specific to scalds and surface burns such as touching a very hot object, naturally in other instances involving fire or substances there will be other steps to take - so I would urge parents to undertake a paediatric first aid course to give them the knowlege and confidence to treat their children in whatever situation arises.

“This is top of my ‘to do’ list myself once lock down is lifted.”

Thankfully, William will suffer no lasting damage and Claire and Edward massage the burn site each day.

Claire sadi: “His skin is healing beautifully and he is unlikely to scar

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Though following a burn the skin becomes highly sensitive to UV, so William will be spending his summer outdoors in a rash vest!”

To see Claire’s post, click here.

__

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Stay safe, and best wishes.